Pope Benedict XVI once again attacked gay marriage. After holding a mass for more than 500 people in Fátima, Portugal, the pontiff declared that abortion and same-sex unions are opposed to the "common good".
In his speech, Benedict XVI defended the family "based on the indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman." The pope also took the opportunity to defend pastoral and social initiatives "that try to fight against the socioeconomic and cultural mechanisms that lead to abortion and that defend life and the reconciliation and healing of people injured by the drama of abortion."
For Benedict XVI, "pressure from the dominant culture" harms the church's charitable work. "The dominant culture insistently presents a lifestyle based on the law of the strongest and easy and attractive benefits, which end up influencing our way of thinking, our projects and the perspectives of our service", he said.
